Early human ancestors faced near-extinction between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, scientists say. An extreme climate event might have caused the evolutionary bottleneck. The population of our ancestors might have been reduced to just 1,280 individuals for about 117,000 years. For a population of that size, you just need one bad climate event, an epidemic, a volcanic eruption and you're gone." This population decline occurred about the same time human ancestors split from Neanderthals and Denisovans.

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Persons: Giorgio Manzi, Chris Stringer, Stringer, heidelbergensis, Manzi Organizations: Service, Guardian, Sapienza University of Rome Locations: Wall, Silicon, London, Africa, Eurasia